Tina Zappile, the director of the Public Policy Center at Stockton University, said the debate between Democrats and Republicans over spending in Jersey has been going on for decades, and members of the minority political party,currently the Republicans, will frequently protest their exclusion from important policy decisions made in Trenton.

“That does appeal to the public when we’re in an election year, regardless of how much that is true or not true on all issues or particular issues, ” she said.

She said during the State of the State address, Murphy articulated a clear vision and a set of values that Democrats are expected to embrace moving forward.

“He came out with a pretty strong agenda, but that agenda included a lot of easy wins that people on both sides of the aisle can get around,” she said.

Zappile noted that includes Murphy’s support of a proposal to ban cell phones in school classrooms to improve student mental health, and revisions to the state’s tax system to make it more fair.

Dworkin agreed, but said as the race for governor starts to heat up in the coming weeks, so too will the rhetoric.

“It’s an effort to try and continue, you can’t just do it in one day, it’s an effort to try and make it a more hospitable environment for their candidates down the road,” he said.

Zappile said regardless of what’s happening nationally or even at the local level, Jersey voters tend to go back and forth in different elections on how much the state should be spending on different programs and services to help lower-wage earners.

“We just can’t seem to make up our minds, and are open to appeals on the big issues, whatever each party brings to the table for the next governor’s race,” she said.

Murphy announced a continued effort to expand full-day pre-K for all kids, updated driver education programs to make the roads safer and voiced support for a new proposal to ban cell phones in public school classrooms.

“If you ask just about any educator, they will tell you that mobile devices are a distraction in the classroom, they are fueling a rise in cyberbullying,” he said.

Murphy said cell phones are making it difficult for kids not only to learn, but to retain the substance of what they learn.

“Honestly, is it any surprise that the rise in smartphone usage has coincided with a growing youth mental health crisis?” the governor asked.

“Every parent knows the damage that these devices can cause. Enough is enough. It is time for action,” he said.

The governor called on legislators to pass a measure to expand public contracting opportunities for minority businesses, to support a proposed measure that will scrap out-of-pocket costs for abortion procedures, to green-light a bill to allow same-day voter registration and to pass legislation to allow New Jerseyans to obtain mobile driver’s licenses on their smartphones.

Murphy also voiced support for pending legislation that will reform penalties for technical parole violations. He said many other states, including deep red states like Louisiana and South Carolina, have already done this.

“By enacting these reforms, we can uphold our responsibility to restore trust in our criminal justice system — and our system of government, more broadly,” he said.

During his speech he also called on Republicans and Democrats to support a wide range of policies designed to help working families.

“This is about paying what we promised, supporting our most vulnerable, and lifting up our families,” he said.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said Tuesday that the state is going to stockpile abortion medication in preparation for President-elect Trump’s return to the White House next week with GOP control of both chambers of Congress.

The governor made comments about protecting abortion drugs like mifepristone during his state of the state address, when he vowed to work with Trump on issues where they share priorities, but also stressed that the state is ready to push back against the incoming administration in areas where they are opposed.

Murphy is one of a handful of Democrat governors who say they are open to cooperation with Trump’s administration. But Murphy emphasized that he will not back down from challenging “anti-choice” policies backed by the Republican-led House and Senate in Washington and said the state will stockpile mifepristone “so every woman can access this crucial form of reproductive care.”

“I will never back away from partnering with the Trump Administration where our priorities align,” Murphy said. “But just as importantly, I will never back down from defending our New Jersey values — if and when they are tested.”

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New Jersey is the latest Democrat-led state to announce plans to stockpile mifepristone, one of two drugs used in combination to end pregnancies.

Trump, who will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, said last month he does not plan to restrict abortion drugs, but he also admitted that “things change.”

Pro-choice groups have expressed concern that Pam Bondi, who Trump nominated for attorney general, may bring back the Comstock Act, a law passed by Congress in 1873 that banned the mailing of medication or instruments used in abortion.

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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy speaks during a press conference in Newark in August. (AP/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled to preserve access to mifepristone. The case sought to restrict access to the drug, including in states where abortion is legal.

Abortion is banned, with some exceptions, at all stages of pregnancy in 14 states, and after about six weeks of pregnancy in three others.

In Murphy’s Tuesday state of the state address, which was his second-to-last, he emphasized his reluctance to become a lame-duck governor before his second term ends, unveiling several proposals for the year. The term-limited governor will be leaving office in a year after November’s gubernatorial election. New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states regularly scheduled with gubernatorial races this year.

Phil Murphy, governor of New Jersey, speaks to members of the media after meeting with President Biden during the National Governors Association Winter Meeting at the White House on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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“During this final chapter of our journey, our absolute top priority — as it has been since Day One — is delivering economic security and opportunity to every New Jerseyan,” Murphy said.

Other proposals Murphy announced include directing schools to ban cellphones in grades K-12.

“Our children are inundated with screens,” he said. “And they are making it incredibly difficult for our kids, not only to learn, but to retain the substance of what they learn.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.